October Snowfall

Sunrise illuminated this snowy scene in front and back, while the sound of generators could be heard throughout the neighborhood.






If this is what October looked like, I can hardly wait to see what December brings!

Eight Days to the Hour!

You're the first to be notified that our power is back up after 8 days!

As Rick just said, longer than Jonah was in the whale and one/fifth of the time Noah was without TV on the ark. Of course, Noah didn't need to watch the news--he WAS the news!

Whew! I hope it stays on so we can shower.

Cards will be appearing later...

Power Update

Just got word yesterday that, due to 3 poles being snapped down the street from us, it will be next week before power is back up on our end of the street. One of my friends who got power on Wed. Treated me to a hot lunch and the use of her washer/dryer yesterday. Hooray for clean underwear!

Counting Blessings

Here are some of the myriad of blessings I've been counting while awaiting power to be restored:

Bright sunshine
Mild outdoor temps
Good friends and neighbors
Warm, furry lap sitters
Our generator, run by my husband every few hours
No damage to our house or cars
Plenty of food, even a few hot meals out
Stamping supplies galore
God-given sense of humor
...and lots more!

For what are you most thankful today?

Still without power

As soon as power is restored, I'll post some pictures of the 10 inches of October snow we got here in Northwest New Jersey! Very inconvenient, but good for stamping in the sunlight...

Square Envelope

Inspired by watching a tutorial on converting a standard invitation size envelope into a square, I made this square card and its matching envelope. There's also an embossed butterfly just below the flap to coordinate with the saying in the card.

The leaf was clear embossed and sponged with autumn colors to make it "pop." After attaching the embroidery floss and faux tag (held on with a glue dot at the top) I used SU dimensionals and mounted it on the card at an angle.

For the inside, I typed in Fall colors: "Falling leaves are Autumn's butterflies... Happy Autumn Birthday."

This is the last of autumn cards for me. On to Christmas now...


NOTE: This envelope cost an extra 20 cents in postage, so it wasn't postage friendly after all!

Mothers Class Christmas Card #2

For Mothers Class tomorrow, we'll be making the embossing resist cards shown in the previous post. Meanwhile, I've started working on Christmas designs.

Next week for Mothers Class, we'll be starting our collection of two Christmas cards per week. This one fit the bill for being attractive, easy to do and easy for me to prepare ahead of time.

Using just the leaf from the SU "Sketch It" set, I stamped first in red for the blossom and again in green for the two leaves. After cutting them out and sponging them lightly, I set them aside for assembly.

Next I punched the border of the white strip with the Martha Stewart punch and ran it through the Cuttlebug in the Swiss Dots folder. I attached it to the card front, leaving just enough space for the narrow foil trim.

Then I added the poinsettia and leaves, using SU dimensionals for the flower. I stamped the greeting, punched out the scalloped oval and added it to the card with dimensionals. Gold glitter was used for the flower center.

We have a new saying for Mothers Class: "If it's raining, it must be Wed." Not exactly original, but all too appropriate. Rain is forecast for tomorrow again!

FALLING LEAVES

Inspired by a pad of K & Company 12 x 12 designer paper, I mounted some leaves over them for some simple cards. All four leaves were stamped in Versamark ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.

Next, they were sponged with gold and brown inks to make them "pop" as the embossing resisted the ink. Each image was then mounted as shown, using a minimal amount of embellishment.

I plan to use these for November birthdays and note cards. Meanwhile, I'm posting them under "Simple Saturday" even thought I didn't set the timer. Stamping and assembling in assembly line fashion really is quick!

SCRAP DRAWER #11

It's been quite awhile since I've done a card using the scraps accumulating in the drawer. This one makes use of some Fall colors and a Martha Stewart punch.





Since it is not postage friendly, I'll be using it as a thank-you note that I can hand deliver.

AUTUMN CARD

After stamping the oak leaves from the French Foliage set and cutting them out, I sponged the edges with Tea Dye Distress Ink to give them some definition. I then attached them on the left side, one with a glue dot, the other with a dimensional. The greeting was stamped with dark brown ink and the embroidery floss was added. The corners were rounded to accent the scallops on the designer papers.

Although the card looked "okay" at that point, I felt it needed a little more interest. While I don't usually use a lot of gems on one card, this time it was just what the card needed...and it's still postage friendly!

DE-CLUTTER CHALLENGE

I just cleaned out my desk drawer and roll top, so I thought it would be a good idea to challenge ourselves to clean out some drawers this week. How 'bout one a day???

In approaching my desk this morning, I brought a garbage bag with me and started to sort out one area at a time. First, I emptied the drawer onto the dining room table. Using a plastic tray for the items I would keep (like pens, pencils, paper clips, etc.)I decided piece by piece whether to keep or toss. Surprisingly, more than half was tossed--like "dead" rubber bands (they dry out after a few years!) and old receipts, paper bits, etc. You know...

Now that I'm done, I have much more space--not to fill, but to keep open so I can see what I do have!

Remember this "rule": store like items with like. Shallow plastic containers work well for pens and pencils, sandwich containers for coins, paper clips, or other small items, zip-loc bags for other odds and ends.

And here's a word of encouragement--I found an old envelope with $30 CASH in it!!!! Shhhh...don't tell Rick!

Taking It To the Top--Vellum Flower

After posting this card for the Less Is More challenge, I decided to step it up a little.



First, I stamped another Large Flower on vellum with Versamark and embossed it with white. I cut it out, attached it to the card and made a new flower center with a scrap piece of dsp.




Next, I added the rest of the matching dsp to the inside right edge and cut away part of the front with deckle-edged scissors. The final touch was to add silver cording on the inside edge, a little different placement than usual.



I liked it either way, but I think the vellum added some style!

DE-CLUTTER DE HOUSE

Now that the summer heat and humidity have subsided, clutter is calling again! It's time to start another de-cluttering series--are you up for it?

I've already started the Great Autumn Purge with the upstairs TV room that also doubles as a guest room. After investing in a set of coasters designed for moving heavy furniture, I was able to easily slide furniture around to make it more roomy, vacuuming the carpet as I rearranged the room. Soon it will be time to move the winter clothes back to the bedroom closet in exchange for the summer clothes there.

If you leave your comments citing your most challenging clutter spots, I'll try to come up with some creative solutions. After all, stampers ARE creative, right? Then, as we de-clutter together, you can also leave some of YOUR creative ideas and solutions! ARE YOU READY?

LESS IS MORE--Eye Color

This Less Is More challenge is to make a card that is your eye color, although the exact shade isn't necessary. I was going to post a photo of the card held up to my face, but my eyes are way too red with allergies. (Maybe I should have made a red card!)

First I stamped the background with Versamark using the "Filigre" stamp from Stampin'Up. Next, I stamped the Hero Arts "Large Flower" with black ink. Using a green Spica pen, I filled in the center outline. Then, using a glue pen, I added Daffodil Yellow glitter in the center (although it looks white in the photo.)

With a GellyRoll glaze pen, I filled in the double lines on each petal of the flower for a subtle effect.

Finally, I stamped the greeting on the bottom right. Done!

SIMPLE SATURDAY #23

Halloween Joy Fold Card

This is one of the Halloween projects I designed for the Mothers Class. There are lots of pieces to assemble, but it should be an easy project.









The cat, pumpkin and "Eek" are stickers from a K & Co. pack I picked up at AC Moore. The bats are stickers from Jolee's Boutique. The purple gems are from Martha Stewart. The dsp is from a 12x12 pad also from K & Co. The stamp is from SU, "Hand-Penned Holidays."

French Foliage Thankyou

Fall is in the air, so it's time to get out the browns and oranges! This stamp set works well for any season, but is especially nice for Sept. and Oct. cards. All stamps and papers are from StampinUp! The inks are from a Kaleidacolor rainbow pad, Cappucino.

Enjoy!

Halloween Treat Cup

Here's one of the projects we made at Technique Class last night--LOVE it!

Cyndy had all the pieces ready for us to emboss, decorate and assemble. The wings were shaped with a circle punch, embossed with the spider web ef and attached to the cone. The "bat" was then sprayed with silver Smooch, the ribbon was attached with black brads and the eyes and fangs were added. Too cute!

I plan to use this for one of the Mothers' Class projects next month.

BTW, have you signed up to follow by email? (above right)

Sunflowers #3

Last time for the sunflower stamp! (...but not in real life...) Can't wait to see what the moms do with this stamp!

Sunflowers #2

As you can see, I just LOVE this sunflower stamp from SU! While waiting for the sun to return and the rain to stop, I decided to make a few more cards with this giant stamp.

First, I applied watercolor crayons directly to the rubber. Then I spritzed the stamp with water and laid the paper over it. I spritzed again (lightly) and made a second print for a more subtle effect on a second card.

After cutting each image down to the size I liked, I mounted them on the cards as shown. For added interest, I stamped the bees, one in black and one in brown, cut them out and applied Stickles to the wings. While letting the Stickles dry, I assembled the cards.

I ran the edges of the first image across the brown ink pad. After mounting a yellow strip across the brown cs, I tied the embossing floss around it. Instead of using a double strand of the 2 colors, I did each separately for a different effect. After mounting the sunflower image with dimensionals, I added the sentiment and the bee. Inside, I used part of the strip I cut off for a 1/2" x 4" piece for the greeting and signature.

The second card was a bit more challenging. Since the image was so faint, I used brown ink for the bee and sentiment. The brown cs border, two-tone gems and yellow embroidery floss helped make the card "pop" after using brown ink for the splatter effect on the pale yellow card base. The completed image was mounted with thick dimensionals for a higher "lift."

The sun still isn't out, except for a brief "tease" earlier; but at least these cards make me feel a little sunnier!

OUR POWER IS RESTORED--finally!

After five days of roughing it, we're very happy to have electricity once again. Our generator held up beautifully, allowing us to have foods stay cold or frozen, to watch TV, to have running water and to have one outlet for a lamp. I'm thankful for the beautiful weather that followed the storm, so we could use the grill for cooking. Also, that we had no damage to house or cars. For further deets on how we coped, check out the Fox Mountain blog.

Meanwhile, I used the sunlit hours to stamp away in the dining room. What better way is there to spend time in the aftermath of a hurricane!

Taking It to the Top--Christmas

When I finished this card, it just seemed to be missing something; so I redid it in steps:

First, I cut off the front panel and remounted it on Cherry Cobbler cs. Then I changed the sentiment and stamped it on a Nestie label. After I sponged the edges with matching red ink, I attached it with SU dimensionals. Then I decided the label was too big for this card, so...

... I moved the label to the inside and used my oval punches for a simpler greeting. I stamped the holly and berries with peg stamps and added some sparkle with green and red Spica pens. To balance it out, I also added some black dots in the upper right corner with a black Spica pen.

BTW, Spica (brand name) pens are a great way to add subtle touches on a card. Another handy tool is the plastic grid sold for cross stitching (?), which I used for the dots in the upper right corner. I sometimes use it for dots and/or dashes around the edges.

Tip: It's amazing how some household items wind up here in the tower, like the lint roller I use for picking up stray powders or paper bits off my work space. What non-stamping items do you use? Leave a comment! (Also, don't forget to sign up for email updates up at the top.)

Three of a Kind--French Foliage

Another set I ordered was French Foliage and a pack of Certainly Celery cs. What I love most about this set is its versatility--it can be used for Spring, Summer or Fall, depending on your choice of colors.

The first card is super simple, and will lend itself to a "Taking it to the Top" challenge. Using three colors from a Kaleidacolor Fresh Greens inkpad and Certainly Celery cs, I assembled the card as shown. Check back on Thursday to see how I step it up.

Next, are two wreaths using two different leaves. I thought it appropriate to use French Script for the background on the one with the Paris cancellation mark. The other features pearls for the center with a sentiment stamped in black and embroidery floss on the fold. This one is my favorite.

Jackie and I thought this would make a great Mothers Class project in the Fall with autumn-colored inks and cardstocks.

Three of a Kind...

...but who's counting!

As soon as UPS arrived with my StampinUp order, I called Jackie with the news--and you all know it IS news whenever new stamps arrive! I packed up my supplies and headed for her dining room table to "play." At first, Jackie and I weren't too sure what to do with this giant sunflower stamp. What started out as an experiment turned out to be five cards, all different.

"Wishing you blue skies..." was done with watercolor crayons directly on the stamp and spritzed with Glimmer Mist. After stamping the greeting with Chestnut Roan chalk ink, I layered it on Soft Suede cs for the base.

Next came the birthday card using the embossed resist technique over yellow marble dsp and clear ep. After sponging around the image, I tore the left side and layered it on a yellow folio card. which I creased 3/4" from the fold.

Then we did a bd card with watermark ink and chalks. As a full-sized card, the balance wasn't quite right; but once I cut it down to a square card it worked much better. The embroidery floss and distressed edges added some texture.

Then we tried watermark ink on the Soft Suede cs and ran the edges across the ink pad to darken them also. It takes awhile for the watermark ink to really show up; but once it does, it pops. For bling, we stamped a bee, colored it with black and gold markers and applied crystal Stickles on the wings. Then we assembled the card as shown, using a dimensional for the bee.

Last, we went back to the first technique, spritzing with plain water and tearing around the image. After mounting it and popping up the greeting, we added some bronze Stickles in the center. I think next time I try it this way, it would look better to also have a straight edge on top just below the tips of the petals and mounted further up in the corner.

Of course, we didn't stop at one stamp--the others had to be tried too! Check back tomorrow for the next round. Meanwhile, please leave a comment and vote for your favorite!

Another State Fair Sweep!

All five cards that I entered won ribbons!

Since I won first place and the huge special pink ribbon in the Christmas category, the other Christmas card was given second place. The winner was a snowflake slider card that I designed especially for the Fair. The other is a tent card with a fireplace scene inside, although it looks flat here because of the paper clip.

In the other categories, the stair step birthday card won first place. (The second place birthday card is not shown here due to camera issues.) The floral card was another one that I designed for the Fair featuring a Martha Stewart border punch on the white and yellow edges, which was quite tricky to get right. They displayed it horizontally, but it actually is a vertical card.

All in all, it was a great State Fair! The weather was perfect the day we went, and the exhibits were quite inspiring, especially the quilts. I'm not into sewing any more, but truly appreciate all the hard work that goes into designing and making a quilt. The other exhibit I always enjoy is the photography one, with many of the photos reflecting the countryside where we live.

BRANCHING OUT

Thanks to Evelyn for letting me borrow her new tree stamp and tiny embellishments.

First, I inked the tree stamp by using a pale green inkpad, then went over just the branches with a brown marker. After inking and stamping it three times on white, I sponged two of them with green and the other with blue. I ran one of them through the Cuttlebug with a large label die from Spellbinders.

After adding birds, balloons and birdhouses (Oh my!) I just love how they turned out!

I'M BACK (finally!)

Since my last post, I've been away from the Stamping Tower with Laura and family from Prague, the heat wave and a very bad coughing spell. Today is sunny, with lower humidity and a cool breeze wafting through the tower--so it's good to be stamping again.

As you can see, there are plenty of butterflies to enhance a card. The first was done with my Spica glitter pens, which give it a subtle shimmer, and attached with a dimensional. The pearls were added after coloring them with a light blue Bic pen.

The next butterfly is from an old SU set that I still love to use. After coloring the flower, I found a piece of dsp that matched perfectly. Again, a gold Spica pen was used in the middle of the butterfly.

Finally, a birthday card to go out today wishing the Silver Stamper recipient a "cool" birthday, evidence of my warped sense of humor. The snowman is mounted on the front of an acetate card, and the green oval behind him is mounted on the inside.

The next exciting event will be the delivery of my recent Stampin'Up order on Tuesday--yippee!

Variations on a Theme

The first card is for a long overdue thankyou, so I folded a piece of cs to fit a regular legal sized envelope. The bird was painted with Twinkling H2O's and mounted on the branches with dimensionals. The flowers were punched out of some glitter paper scraps. After attaching with glue dots and dimensionals, I curled the petals and added some black diamond Stickles in the centers. Last, I added some clear gel pen to give the beak some shine.

The second card was CASEd from a card I saw on this fabulous blog HERE (April 23rd post.) I hand delivered it to a friend in need yesterday (as soon as the Stickles in the flower centers dried.) Unfortunately, it didn't photograph well, so please double click on photos for a better view.

Only 9 more days until my daughter and family arrive from Prague!

SUMMERTIME FUN

Laura and family will be here in just a few weeks (from Prague) for almost a month's stay, and I can hardly wait! It's been six months since we've seen them, and I'm looking forward to their visit. Since there's tons to do (cleaning, shopping, meal planning, etc.) blogging will be on hold for awhile.

Please use the email link on the top right so that you'll know when I do post a card or two. Even though I won't be blogging as much, I'll still be stamping!

I hope you're enjoying your summer, too. I just love the longer days and outdoor activities after the cold, gray days of winter. Even our cats are happier!

Three of a Kind

Making a card with a saying as the focal point is a bit more challenging than others, for me anyway. The white card shown here was also my submission for the Less Is More challenge. However, I think I like it better here as a square card.

The blue card is a standard size, and I kept it very simple. I thought clouds made the ideal background for this sentiment. Blue and white seemed like a peaceful color combo also.

Finally, the yellow square card is cheerful and colorful, with lots of embellishments. First I inked the flower in yellow, then used orange along the edges of the stamp. After punching out the scalloped circle, I sponged the edges yellow. Next, I cut a square of dsp (thank you, Linda--I love it!) and attached it to the card. I mounted the verse with SU dimensionals, then added the lady bug and various colors and sizes of gems in the flower centers.

As for the saying, it reminds me that God is always near to us even when we don't feel near to Him--especially during difficult times. Though we tend to wander, He never leaves us!

Less Is More/Pick A Square

The challenge at LIM for this card was to pick a square area of the card and limit the image to that spot. Check out other entries HERE.

Take a minute to scroll down for a look at my other cards!

OLW/Cats and Dogs

The theme for this week's One Layer Wed. is cats and dogs, which was a no-brainer for me because I love cats! As soon as I saw what the theme was, I immediately reached for this SU set, "Window Dressing," and placed Archie in the window. Although neither of my cats wears a collar (we live in the woods, so it could be dangerous for them if they got caught on something,) I added a little collar for the card. Archie does have blue eyes, however, so I add blue eyes with a Spica glitter pen.

For real-life photos of my cats, just click on "Cat Photos" on the sidebar. To check out other One Layer entries, click HERE.

Birthday Bargello

The paper used in this bargello design comes from Basic Grey, Life of the Party. One of the things I like about doing bargello is that you never know just how it's going to turn out until you put the pieces together, and this card is a perfect example of that. I had no idea that the striped paper would turn out to look just like birthday candles!

Since one of the designs was a collage of birthday packages, I made a "package" from a leftover piece of the metallic paper underneath. The hard part was wrapping the embroidery floss around such a small square and making the bow on top.

Joan was here when I made this, and she thinks I should use it as one of my entries in the State Fair this summer. Since the category is for "stamping" (instead of "card making") I'm not sure one little birthday greeting is enough to win in that category; but I probably will enter it anyway.

We'll see...

Happy Stampers

Here are four of the Mothers Class members showing off their bargello cards, which all turned out great!

(Double click on the photo for a closer look.)

Pastoral Cards

Here are two cards made for our pastor's use. Both are edged with a Martha Stewart vine punch. The green card features a stamp from SU; the other is a verse from Our Daily Bread Designs.

SIMPLE SATURDAY #22

Happy Cardinal

Could this cardinal be singing because winter is over and the flowers are in bloom again? I know I am!

This is the other image from the same set used in the previous post, only this time I made it a regular horizontal card. The yellow gives it a summery look, especially with the floral dsp around the image. There's no confusing this cardinal with Christmas!

Blue Jay Gatefold

Don't you just love getting new stamps? This one came yesterday from the Cut@Home website. They also have a matching die for the bird, which is actually supposed to be a cardinal. Since I felt the bird was simple enough to cut out by hand, which I did, I didn't order the die. (The stamp set comes with two different images and a birthday greeting.)

There were several steps in making this card. First I stamped the image twice, using the second one for coloring and cutting out the bird. The bird and large blossom were popped up with SU dimensionals.

After coloring the images, I used the Nestabilities label die. Since the image was slightly larger, I used my craft knife to slide the die under the tail feathers, the bottom right leaf and the uppermost blossom. I also die-cut the Nestabilities Fleur de Lis square as a border and mounted the image on top.

The only embellishments I used on this one was a tiny black gem for the eye and some Stampendous jeweled stickers for the flower centers. (Double click for a closer view.)

I think this stamp set is going to get a lot of use!

START HERE CHALLENGE--Yellow Flower

Since tulips are one of my favorite flowers, this challenge was easy. Paper piecing is also one of my favorite techniques, so I put the two together.

First I stamped the tulip along the right side, close to the edge. After coloring the leaves, I stamped just the blossom again on yellow plaid dsp and pasted it over the image. Using the same dsp, I punched out the border and pasted it on the inside of the card. Then I cut away the right side of the card so that the tulip would lay over the border strip below.

For finishing touches, the embroidery floss, oval greeting and bee sticker were applied. I used some Stickles for the bee's wings and inside the tulip. Light gray dots along the left side of the tulip give it some dimension.

This was such fun that I plan to use this design next week for the Mothers Class I teach. You might want to try this site for interesting challenges HERE!

LESS IS MORE--Embossing

Actually, less is less--timewise, that is! This card took all of seven minutes to complete.

After inking the Hero Arts wreath, first with Versamark and again with soft green ink, I stamped it on the card. Using clear embossing powder, I heated up the wreath and then added colorful flowers using three flower peg stamps. Unfortunately, (for this challenge) I had to pop up the butterfly because the ink wouldn't take over the embossing.

To finish, I rounded the corners, added the embroidery floss and stamped the greeting. This will make a nice summery birthday card!

(For more entries at Less Is More, visit HERE.)

Acrylic Smash

I picked up these cards for $1/pack at Michaels (including envelopes)-- what a bargain! I decided to try using this one for the Acrylic Smash technique featured on Split Coast Stampers HERE.

Using Gold and Pearl metallic dabbers, I applied them to the acetate. I then used a piece of white cardstock for the backing and secured it behind the circle opening. Using black Stazon ink, I stamped the blossom (Hero Arts.) After stamping the SU ferns on the cardfront with Versamark, I highlighted them with green chalk, added the embroidery floss on the side and stamped the birthday greeting.

This was a simple and quick card to make!

LESS IS MORE--White on White

No matter how you do it, white on white seems to always work, making an elegant card. This was the challenge for Less Is More HERE

Starting with a basic white card, the first layer is an embossed border with wide lace wrapped around it and mounted with dimensionals. Next I embossed leaves and rounded the corners for the second layer, wrapping a narrow sheer ribbon around it with a simple knot on the right side. Over that, I embossed a leafy square, rounded the corners, added pearls and a double Hero Arts blossom and mounted it with dimensionals. For the butterfly, I glued the small one on top of the larger one and added a row of tiny pearls for the body, then glued it above the top layer with TomBow Liquid glue.

This would make a great wedding card!